CONTENTS

• Quote of the Month – Chosen by Maggie Young, Mercy HS, Burlingame
• The Smell of Wet Soil by Jenny Leonard, College Park HS, Pleasant Hill
• Poetry - “Growing Apart” by Katy Kilgore, St. Ignatius HS, San Francisco
• Hot or Not A Look at the Question of Global Warming by Meika   Hollender, Vermont Commons School, Charlotte VT
• Daffodil Day at Oakland High and Another Day in the Rose Garden by   Albert Chan, Oakland HS
• The New "Smart" Idea – by Natalie Nava, Monte Vista HS, Danville
• Answers to the Question of the Month for November: Did the election results affect your commitment to the environment? Why?
• Question of the Month for December: Are you going to do or giveanything during the Holiday season that is connected to the environment?  If yes, what is it, and if no, well why not?
• Action of the Month – Eat Local, Eat Less Meat, Eat Organic
• Letters to the Editor
• Join Now
• The Green Team
• Previous Issues
• Editor’s  comment  - We encourage you to send comments  to the   writers.   Their emails are below their articles.

Mission Statement: Our mission is to strengthen and unify the young environmental community in the Bay Area by sharing interests, information, and calls to action. We seek to inspire participation in projects and events between groups, strengthen journalistic skills, and foster career exploration.

December 2004
Issue 23

Quote of the Month

Chosen by Maggie Young, the Green Team, Mercy HS, Burlingame
maggiey@earthteam.net

The Smell of Wet Soil -

by Jenny Leonard, College Park HS, Pleasant Hill

Saturday, November 6th, was a beautiful, foggy, fall day at Fort Funston in San Francisco. Eight students total, seven from San Mateo (Hillsdale High School and Junipero Serra High School), three adult volunteers and one student from Pleasant Hill (College Park High School) came out to work hard and bask in the glory that is volunteer work. Asha Setty, the Nursery Manager at Fort Funston’s native plant nursery led us. Mission of the day: remove iceplant duff!  Iceplant is this nasty weed that people put down to stabilize the sand dunes. The problem with this is that native plant species in sand dune environments need instability to thrive.

In the area where we were working, the iceplant had been weeded out by volunteers on a previous restoration workday.  What remained was a layer of nutrient rich soil and root systems left by iceplant.  Our job was to remove this “iceplant duff” and move it out so only sand remained for the good native plants to grow in.  For two hours we slaved away, shoveling iceplant duff into buckets and wheelbarrows and dumping them on the growing mound of dirt.  It was hard work, but very rewarding.  We moved so much of it, that we pushed back the duff bed a good four feet in all directions. The fog burned off by about eleven o’clock and we could see the ocean.

I loved the work.  My favorite part was digging in the soil.  It was damp and had that rich, earthy smell to it that only dirt has.  It was deliciously natural and definitely added to the experience of joining fellow students to help make a difference whatever way we can.

Poetry

“Growing Apart”

By Katy Kilgore, St. Ignatius HS, San Francisco

 Spiny branches creep out of a once simple object.

 Each branch is struggling to find its own path,

 But they are all still attached.

 Why did you have to leave that morning?

 Branching away from something so perfect.

 You ripped away the beauty that it once held.

 Turning it into something that no one can accept.

 It has been three months,

 But I can still feel you inside of me.

 Don’t you realize that we are still connected?

 You may feel that running away is the best answer,

 But how can you run when you know you have nowhere to go?

 It is winter now and you still have not returned.

 I see the leaves fall off the trees that line our house,

 But the branches are still growing.

 Creeping over into our lawn,

 And encompassing everything we once called ours.

 I no longer can see the simple object.

 Your never-ending branches have engulfed it.  

 I know it is time to say good-bye,

 But I do not know how to do that.

 I took the scissors that you left in your desk drawer

 With one quick snip,

 I cut away your branches and watched them fall to the ground.

katyk@earthteam.net

Hot or Not? A Look at the Question of Global Warming

by Meika Hollender, Vermont Commons School, Charlotte, VT

The question of global warming is a pressing issue today. While many scientists and newspapers are declaring that this is a time to panic, it is crucial that before imagining what it would be like without islands like Venice and Manhattan we look at the past 500 years rather than just what has been happening since 1850. Yes, there is indisputable evidence that in the past 150 years there has been a global temperature increase of 0.5 degrees Celsius, but is important to realize that there are many factors contributing to this climate increase other than just Carbon Dioxide concentration. Sedimentation rates and the polar and equatorial position of continents are two other factors that contribute to the temperature changes that scientists have been tracking over the past century. One can’t argue that the average global temperature hasn’t been increasing, well YOU can but you would be arguing with accurate data, but one can logically dispute the reasoning that fossil fuel emissions are the reason for this increase.

The earth has gone through periods of sweltering heat, as well as eras of glaciation, so why, now, are people all of a sudden flipping out over a predicted average 3 to 5 degree increase? The reason is that countries could flood, people will die, and if fossil fuels are really one of the driving factors of this climate increase then we can effect change. Disregarding the fact that reducing our oil consumption would help conserve the world’s limited resources, we need to realize that carbon emissions do effect weather patterns, therefore why not try and cut down? Nothing negative can come out of conservation.

While the media are constantly flashing numbers and figures and creating this great scare, just remember that nothing involving nature is a one-sided story. So many people are trying to undercut the idea that reducing oil use will actually stop our earth from overheating, but I say when it comes to saving resources and potentially preserving our ecosystem, where’s the negative?

meikah@earthteam.net

Daffodil Day at Oakland High

The New “Smart” Idea by Natalie Nava, Monte Vista HS, Danville

by Natalie Nava, Monte Vista HS, Danville

After being sold for five years in Europe (especially Ireland), the 60-MPG Smart Car has finally been approved by the EPA and is ready for sale in the U.S.  Currently, the Smart Car is one of the most efficient vehicles on the market.  The question is, will Americans make the smart choice and be willing to purchase the car?  Environmentally friendly cars seem to have spawned a trend with the sporty-looking hybrid Prius as well as larger, heavier hybrids like the Ford Escape SUV. But will the Smart Car follow suit?  The maker, DaimlerChrysler, has cleverly created a colorful car, with a stylish and fun ambience which rivals that of the Mini Cooper.  However, the added bonus is that the Smart Car is a foot and a half smaller than the Mini, tiny enough to fit in a parking space built for a motorcycle. While many Americans will likely purchase the Smart Car, whether because of its convenient size, its trendy appearance, or its-feel good name, some may still be reluctant to buy such a tiny car.  Far too many people feel that a small car may compromise their safety in the current arms-race of expensive SUVs which has swept the U.S.  We need more incentives so people will stop buying so many boat-sized vehicles and start caring more about what their car is emitting. Check it out at www.smartireland.net

Responses to November's Question of the Month

Did the election results affect your commitment to the environment? Why?
Answered by students at the November Youth Coalition Meeting

"No, I was pretty sure Bush would win, and I’ve been hip to environmentalism for awhile."

"Yes, I’ll focus more on educating my friends about the Bush Administration’s policies on the environment."

"No, the election results don’t really effect my commitment to the environment, but to other environmentalists it does, I don’t really know why."

"No, I feel that now that Bush is in office, we have four more years to expand our cause. It’s more like an opportunity than a defeat for activists."

"No, environmental issues aren’t addressed enough by politicians and we need to work to be heard no matter who is president."

"No, if anything it has made me more determined than ever!!!"

"Yes, it made me feel more empowered to fight him."

"I am definitely going to put more time into environmental change."

I am definitely going to put more time into environmental change

52% Votes: 13

I'll keep taking action similar to what I had been doing.

 32% Votes: 8

I'm going to do less. What difference do I make?

Question of the Month for December

Are you going to do or give anything during the Holiday season that is connected to the environment?  If yes, what is it, and if no, well why not? Reply to editor@earthteam.net or take the poll at www.earthteam.net

Eat Local, Eat Less Meat, Eat Organic

The following is a brief extract of an article by Elysa J. Hammond, the staff ecologist of Clif Bar Inc., a maker of all-natural energy and nutrition foods. Read the COMPLETE article at www.climatebiz.com/sections/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=27338

Fight Global Warming with Your Knife and Fork

Eat Local  Did you know the food you eat travels an average of more than 1,500 miles to reach your plate? Transporting food burns fossil fuels, which create tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases – the primary cause of global warming.

Eat Less Meat  We feed more than half the grain grown in the United States to livestock. That greatly compounds the climactic impact of our oil-dependent food system.

Eat Organic  Our industrialized food system – the collective growing, processing, packaging, shipping and cooking of our food – accounts for

17% of the fossil fuel energy we consume as a nation.

Check out the following web sites http://www.climatebiz.com/ and

Please send your responses to anything in the Green or anything environmental. We'll print it in the next issue. Also, send us your answers to the Question of the Month by the 25th of the month. It would be great to hear from you. Contact TheGreen@earthteam.net

"The Green" is 100% student written and edited. We're looking for anything about the environment - what your class or club is doing, opinion pieces, facts, actions and more. The students who commit to monthly or every other month articles receive a small monetary compensation. To find out more, contact TheGreen@earthteam.net